“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 (NLT)
When you meditate as a Christian, you think about Scripture. You meditate on Scripture in the same way a cow chews her cud—by chewing on it and chewing on it and chewing on it.
To help you “chew” on God’s Word, I’ll share with you one of the strangest acrostics I’ve ever used: SPACEPETS. Each letter in the acrostic reminds you of a question you can ask of Scripture.
1. Is there a SIN to confess? Does God’s Word make you aware of something you need to make right with God?
2. Is there a PROMISE to claim? Ask yourself if the passage you’ve read contains a universal promise. Ask whether you’ve met all the conditions of the promise. Every promise has a premise!
3. Is there an ATTITUDE to change? Is there something you need to think about differently? Do you need to work on a negative attitude, worry, guilt, fear, bitterness, pride, apathy, or ego?
4. Is there a COMMAND to obey? Is there a command you need to obey, no matter how you feel about it?
5. Is there an EXAMPLE to follow? Are there positive examples to follow or negative examples to avoid?
6. Is there a PRAYER to pray? In the Bible, Paul, David, Solomon, Ruth, Esther, Elijah, and Isaiah, among others, pray. You can use their prayers and know that they’ll be answered because they’re in the Bible and in God’s will.
7. Is there an ERROR to avoid? We don’t have time to make all the mistakes ourselves! So what can you learn from the mistakes of people in Scripture?
8. Is there a TRUTH to believe? Often, we’ll read something in Scripture that we can’t do anything about. We simply have to believe what the Bible says about God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the past, the future, heaven, hell, and other topics.
9. Is there SOMETHING for which to praise God? You can always find something in a passage you can be grateful to God for, like something God has done or protected you from.
Each question in this list is associated with something you do. Write these SPACEPETS questions on a note card to keep with your Bible. Then, every time you meditate on the Bible, they’ll help you be obedient to James 1:22: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (NLT).
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
After reading about this method, go back to the Scripture you read yesterday for your quiet time and apply this method to that passage. What new truths do you discover?
When was a time you noticed the difference between just listening to God’s Word and doing what it says?
What promise from God are you leaning on today?
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
God wants you to not just read the Bible but to also do what it says. Learn some questions to ask to help you obey God’s Word in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
40 Days in the Word – 2023, God’s Word, Bible Study, Spiritual Growth, Change, Obedience, Truth, James 1
Broadcast Series: 40 Days in the Word – 2023
Sermon Series: 40 Days in the Word (2012)
Sermon: 023605_How to Study a Bible Passage
